Towards excellence in products, practices and processes
In our recent post, we discussed how patents encourage iLOQ to keep innovating and give us the time and space to develop new products and solutions that fulfill our customers’ needs. Likewise, receiving approvals and achieving certification from official bodies demonstrates to our customers that the quality and reliability of our products, practices and processes are at the best possible level.
At iLOQ, we are committed to maintaining high standards in terms of everything we do to meet the needs of our customers and other stakeholders. One way of ensuring this is by complying with international standards for quality and environmental management systems.
The ISO 9001:2015 Quality certificate is a standard that demonstrates the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements. iLOQ is proud to have been awarded this certification, which is not product-specific, but covers all our activities. It is in recognition of our efforts to date, and helps us to continually strive to improve our levels of performance and customer satisfaction.
We have also been awarded with the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management certificate. This international standard specifies requirements for an effective environmental management system, and ensures a holistic approach to reducing environmental impact. At iLOQ, we focus on complying with applicable laws and regulations to minimize the impact that our products and services have on the environment, and work towards continued improvement of our practices and processes.
The iLOQ SaaS service operates in the ISO 27001:2013 Information security management system certified environment provided by Fujitsu Services Ltd. This standard specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system. It also includes requirements for the assessment and treatment of information security risks.
We invest in responsible recycling
iLOQ actively participates in and promotes the appropriate recycling of products containing electronics or circuit boards (such as net boxes, key switches, relay cards and key readers) at the correct electrical and electronic waste collection points. The same attention to recyclability that we employ in the manufacturing of our products, applies to other aspects of our business as well. We strive to minimize the production of waste in everything we do and favor ecological material selections throughout our process, including fully recyclable packaging for our outbound shipments.
Membership to the following organizations: The Environmental Register of Packaging (RINKI Ltd), The Electrical and Electronics Equipment Producers Association (SELT) and the producer organization for portable batteries and accumulators (Recser Ltd) ensures iLOQ fulfills product recycling requirements set by EU directives.
Product approvals come from continual testing
To guarantee the quality, security and reliability and ensure they continue to receive approval by leading European security sector organizations, iLOQ’s lock-specific products go through an extensive internal development and testing process. Certification bodies will then carry out their own tests and grant approval based on the results.
For the internal tests, iLOQ’s dedicated team uses a combination of high-tech and more everyday equipment to ensure products are fit for their intended purpose before introduction to market.
The wide range of tests in the certification process includes:
- Drilling test – as the name suggests, a drill is used to see if it is possible to break the lock
- Manipulation test – this is a lock-picking test to see if it is possible to open a lock without leaving marks
- Free attack test – this is a ‘fun’ one where a range of heavy tools are used to try to break the lock
As part of the testing process, we work in close collaboration with country-specific trade organizations and local authorities who define the requirements needed to gain product approval. In Finland, testing is carried out by a group of locksmiths and witnessed by Eurofins (a leading international group of laboratories providing an unparalleled range of testing and support services).
There are different classes of approvals granted depending on the type of application where the lock will be used. For example, in Finland, Grade 1 is typical for the front door of apartment where an everyday lock would be used. Whereas Grade 3 is a security lock giving additional protection against break-ins. There are also different requirements for different markets. For example, a specific environmental test might be need for products in countries with more extreme climates.
When tested, certified and approved, customers can expect that the quality level of their product is exactly as it should be. And have confidence in the fact that their supplier is conforming with international standards for quality and environmental management in their practices and processes.
You can read more about our certifications and overall environmental performance in our sustainability report. And, if you have any questions in relation to iLOQ’s approvals or certifications, please don’t hesitate to put a comment in the box below. We’re happy to help.
